


Birth

by quinnfabs



Series: Friendship Writing Challenge [24]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Gen, santana-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-26 01:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3832450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnfabs/pseuds/quinnfabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Santana manages models for a living and is currently working with one Kurt Hummel, a guy she knew in high school and has since then fallen out of contact with. He’s also the only person she’s told about being pregnant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birth

xxx

Over the time that Santana has stepped up the ladder within her career as a PR manager in New York she’s learned two very important things. The first is that she’s far more talented than everyone she’s met. The second is that she absolutely hates relationships.

Alright fine, she concedes that she already knew that she was better than everyone else. New York helped her solidify that, though. In terms of relationships; they very rarely work out, and involve an unnecessary amount of messy feelings that she would much rather avoid.

Surprisingly though, Santana’s problem with relationships isn’t a fear of commitment or being emotionally vulnerable. From all the relationships she’s been in, Santana has found no difficulty with intimacy or settling down. In fact, she very nearly proposed to her high school girlfriend.

She spent so much time building up a persona of being laid back and uncaring because of how afraid she was of the backlash, of being herself. Now, though, she’s incredibly proud of the person she is, and she no longer cares what anyone else has to say about her and her choices.

But for some reason, she’s never been able to find someone who shares her desire to settle down, start a family. The girls she dates never seem to understand  _why_ she wants children; as if being a lesbian in her late 20s suddenly means that she’s  _lucky_ because she doesn’t have a reason to want or have kids.

She doesn’t talk about it often, but she  _loves_  kids. Sure, she’s can be cynical and angry, and has a tendency to lash out when people say the wrong things. But what people fail to understand is that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have feelings, or that she lacks the ability to love another.

Her baby cousins are the funniest people in the world, and the kind of light and innocence that children carry with them is unparalleled. They inspire her, show her that the world is bright and enchanting.

She always knew that one day,  if she ever got into a relationship serious enough to have kids, she’d want to be the one to carry the child. It was important to her to have that connection with the baby. So when she goes to the fertility clinic it’s not really an impulse decision at all, she’s tired of looking around for someone to marry, and she _wants a kid._ She knows that adoption is an option, but she also knows that it’s so much harder because she isn’t married, or straight.

xxx

She’s late, her period’s late and she thinks she’s going to cry with the nervous excitement building up within her very core. She’s waiting for her pregnancy test to tell her what the verdict is, whether there’s a precious gem growing within her.

When she looks back a moment later, it’s positive and she cries with relief and sheer joy. Although she still needs confirm it with a doctor, the little plus sign makes her feel like the world is looking up, as if she’s holding the entire universe’s happiness within the palm of her hand.

xxx

The first person she tells after she finds out official that she is with child, is Kurt Hummel, of all people. She knew him back in high school but they never really talked much. He’s on her radar though, slowly working his way up in the fashion industry. They’re both at the same party that evening, as it seems that Santana is managing one of the models for Kurt’s upcoming line.

When Kurt pulls out some champagne to celebrate, eager to share the excitement of another new campaign, Santana panics. She knows how it would look to not drink at one of these events, but she also knows that there is no chance in  _hell_ any alcohol is getting near her.

So she nods politely as she always does, takes the glass, grinning wildly. Pretends to sip at it, laughs at all the right jokes at the right times. But when no one’s looking, she swaps out her still full glass with an empty one and everyone is too busy with small talk, or too buzzed to care.

She revels in the fact that she’s managed to evade the offending drink, nearly pats herself on the back for it. Except when she looks up from the table, Kurt’s gazing at her, confused.

He walks over there and she’s so nervous that she blurts, “I’m with child.” And then she panics more, because that was the first time she told anyone, and it was  _Kurt Hummel,_ some random guy from her high school who’s also now technically her colleague.

She realizes in that moment, two things. First, it’s a little depressing that she didn’t have anyone else that she wanted to share that news with. And second, Kurt doesn’t look like he’s surprised, or shocked, or ready to give her a lecture about childcare, like she was expecting. He looks pleased.

“Congratulations, Santana! That’s incredible.” He exclaims,  genuine smile plastered on his face.

She nods, and then kind of wants to puke because she feels really alone, all of a sudden. She knows that the next question will be about a partner, or  _why_  and she’s not sure if she wants to explain it just yet. She’s feels tired and a little sick, and oh god, now is really _not_ the best time to be throwing up, honestly.

She’s thankful that she at least made it to the back room trash cans, where nobody else can see her. Except for Kurt, who followed her looking anxious as hell. He holds her hair back as she pukes up everything she’s eaten in the past hour, she  _knew_ she shouldn’t have eaten those weird cheese cubes.

“Here, have some water.” Kurt says earnestly, as he awkwardly pets at her back.

Some reunion, Santana thinks. But she just mumbles out a thanks as she takes the water from him.

“I have a feeling you didn’t mean to tell me you were, you know. Pregnant.” He whispers, concerned.

She doesn’t know how to approach this conversation so she’s defensive when she growls out, “I didn’t, so don’t you dare say anything or none of my models will  _ever_  wear a Hummel design again.” It’s an empty threat, she doesn’t get to pick what her models choose to do; she just helps them work out contractual issues and makes sure that they have positive public images. He doesn’t need to know that, though.

“Hey, easy. I won’t tell anyone.” Kurt replies, hands raised in the air. He looks like he wants to ask more though, and she doesn’t have the patience to answer his questions, not today. She knows that she doesn’t owe him anything but at the same time, she feels like it might be nice to just, talk about it with someone, for once. So she says, a little defeated, “Lunch? Later this week?”

“You don’t…” he starts to say, but she cuts him off immediately, “I know I don’t. But I’d rather answer the questions that you clearly have myself, rather than you waiting for some tabloid to pick up on it.” She grabs his phone and enters in her contact information. She knows that he probably has her business number, but, this is  _personal_. She wants to keep it that way.

xxx

They’re having lunch in a hole-in-the-wall café downtown, it’s apparently Kurt’s favorite place to go when he lacks inspiration. He knows the staff there well, and he promises that they’re very professional. She knows that he means that they aren’t going to eavesdrop and sell her story to the public.

She trusts him, because even though they never knew each other well back in high school, she knows that he doesn’t have it in him to lie. He somehow managed to make it in the fashion world  _without_ stabbing people in the back in the process (but she also thinks, when she remembers how determined he was back in high school, that maybe, he just has a good publicist.)

She doesn’t know whether to just jump into the conversation, she doesn’t want to justify her decision because she knows that she made the right one. She’s healthy, and has a good income with a stable career. She has a beautiful apartment and an extra room that’s perfect for a nursery. She would never be reckless, not about this.

But it turns out, Kurt doesn’t want to jump right into the conversation about why she’s pregnant, when he asks, “You know, I always thought your voice was ridiculously amazing. Why didn’t you go into music?”

They talk for hours, about glee club, about past flames. About how  _hard_ love can be.

At the end of the meal, when they’ve both paid and they’re on their way home, Santana realizes that she never actually got around to talking about the  _why_ of her pregnancy.

That’s when she realizes,  Kurt doesn’t care about the  _why._ He didn’t show up for gossip about the bitchy cheerleader he knew in high school, he’s came because he was interested in  _her._

xxx

A month before the due date her doctor asks her who she wants in the room with her during the birth. She’s supposed to compile a list of people that are allowed to be inside, with her, for precautions.

They don’t want random people bursting inside claiming they’re father. Apparently, giving birth is  _nothing_ like it is in the movies.

She doesn’t hesitate when she writes out her mother’s contact details.

She pauses for a brief second, and fills in the second line with 'Kurt Hummel', before handing the paper back to her doctor.

xxx

 


End file.
